Choosing Football Equipment
Football equipment is essential for delivering the best performance. Goalkeeper's gloves and protectors come in different sizes with different properties, so be sure to choose wisely.
Football protectors
No matter if you are a professional footballer or play just for fun, protecting your health and body is always a necessity. The rules of football do not allow the players to enter a match without shin protectors. The shin bone lies just under the skin and is not protected by any surrounding muscles, so it is very susceptible to injury. Shin bone injury is especially painful, because the bone surface is covered with nerve endings.
Protectors should be chosen depending on player’s height. There are two basic types of protectors. The first type includes an ankle protector, the second type comes without it but additionally contains one or two straps which are fastened around the calves to secure the position of the protectors. A recent trend is a strapless shin protector. A compress cover is put over the protector so it prevents slipping. Additionally it improves blood stream, which prevents cramps.
Goalkeeper gloves
Goalkeeper gloves are goalkeeper’s most essential piece of equipment. They help catching, protect the hands and fingers from injury and help to hold the ball in wet conditions.
How to choose goalkeeper gloves
When choosing gloves, first measure the diameter of your palm. The glove should fit closely to your hand and should feel like a second skin. High-quality gloves have a palm made of latex for as best adhesion as possible. Every goalkeeper glove has a Velcro zipper which used for adjusting the size of the glove around the wrist.
Proper maintenance
Before first use, gloves should be immersed in tepid water to remove all unwanted substances, which were accumulated during the manufacture process and which prevent proper functioning. After drying, the gloves are ready for use.
The latex should be cleaned from accumulated dirt, stones or grass after every match or training. Use warm water at max. 50°C and a special glove cleaner. Gloves should never be machine washed and never be dried on a heating or direct sun.
Gloves should be kept and transported only in a protecting case. Be sure to protect the gloves from UV-radiation, which negatively affects latex.
